Seasonal Planting: What to Plant and When
Your month-by-month guide to planting for colour and interest all year round.
7
min
Gardening with the seasons is one of the great pleasures of growing your own outdoor space, and it’s also the key to getting good results. Plant at the right moment and nature does much of the work for you. Plant at the wrong time and even the healthiest specimen can struggle. Here’s a simple guide to what to plant and when through the British gardening year.
Spring: the season of new growth
As the soil warms and the days lengthen, spring is the busiest planting time. It’s the moment to sow many vegetables and hardy annuals, plant summer-flowering bulbs like dahlias and lilies, and get new perennials and shrubs into the ground while there’s still moisture for them to settle in. Wait until the risk of frost has passed before putting out tender plants such as tomatoes and bedding.
Summer: keep things going
Summer is more about maintaining than planting, but there’s still plenty to do. Container-grown plants can go in at any time as long as you keep them well watered. It’s also the time to sow biennials like foxgloves and wallflowers for next year’s display, and to keep deadheading so flowers keep coming.
Autumn: the best-kept secret
Many gardeners don’t realise that autumn is one of the very best times to plant. The soil is still warm from summer but the air is cooler and wetter, so trees, shrubs and perennials establish beautifully with little effort. It’s also the season to plant spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils, crocuses and tulips, ready to reward you months later.
Winter: plan and prepare
When the garden is resting, you can get the groundwork done. Bare-root trees, roses and hedging are best planted during the dormant winter months, and they’re far cheaper to buy this way. Winter is also the ideal time to prune many trees and shrubs, improve your soil and plan what you’d like to grow in the year ahead.
Planting in tune with the seasons gives your garden the best possible start and saves a great deal of disappointment. If you’d like help planning a garden that has something to offer all year round, GardenCare is always happy to share its experience.